Today’s short story is “Up at a Villa” by Helen Simpson (also in the collection In Flight Entertainment), which is a short and fun piece about four young people who trespass on another holiday maker couple’s poolside sanctuary. The main thrust of the story is the contrast between the two groups of people – the invincible youths so different from the stressed parents with their crying baby.
The writing is lovely in this story, for example: “their laughter looped the air behind them like chains of bubbles in translucent water”, and it evokes a sense of place as well as outlining the characters with admirable economy.
Literary Fruit rating: 8 out of 10.
Literary Fruit 